Magic just paid a KD-level price for Desmond Bane and Spurs better take notes

ESPN's Senior Insider Shams Charania just broke the first trade news of the offseason. The Orlando Magic are sending Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and a first-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane. Yes. You read that correctly. Desmond Bane is the prize for a sizable haul that you'd think a superstar was being moved for.

It's way too much for a good but not great player. Desmond Bane averaged 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. He's a great fit for the core Orlando has put together between Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, but he's never made an all-star team, an All-NBA team, or done anything of note that would justify a team giving up a bunch of assets to put him on their roster.

The first thing some of you may think to yourselves is, "If Mikal Bridges went for five unprotected draft picks last offseason, and it took a deal like this to get Desmond Bane, what will it take to get Kevin Durant?" I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't worry about that one iota.

This trade is something that you put together if you're getting KD in his prime. Desmond Bane doesn't fit that billing, and we all know it. Don't expect the Spurs to follow suit with a bad decision of their own.

Bad organizations don't set the market with bad deals

If good general managers were going to adjust their strategies based on the ridiculous deals the less-than-smart GMs made, there wouldn't be any good front office executives. They know better. If that were the case, Luka Doncic would have cost the Lakers their entire team. And don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing Rob Pelinka of being a good GM, but he was smart enough not to sell the farm in that trade.

As Brian Windhorst explained in the video above, the trade for Bane wasn't just about acquiring a new piece, but getting off the contract that they gave to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It's an organization that made a bad decision that they're paying the price for. San Antonio isn't in that situation, and they aren't desperate.

The circumstances surrounding a potential deal for Kevin Durant haven't changed. He's still almost 37 years old, and he's coming off an injury. He's dealt with that bug the last few seasons and has only reached 70 games once over the past six years.

Asking for the ransom under those conditions is absurd, and it's just another poorly run organization trying to save face after failing after taking a huge swing they never should have stepped to the plate for in the first place. Adding Bradley Beal with his price tag and lack of impact on winning to a team with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker was foolish.

They diminished their assets putting that team together, and now, since they can't move Beal because of his no-trade clause, they want to use KD to replenish their chest. That's just not a reasonable expectation. They'll blink eventually, and the Spurs will likely end up with the Easy Money Sniper on in silver and black. But it will be for an affordable price.